Taste of the Ward debuts Saturday with food, contests

Ready for some food? And a little friendly competition among chefs and bartenders? And some more food?

The first Taste of the Ward joins the neighborhood’s Summer Sizzle jazz festival on Saturday.

A number of bars and restaurants will serve up some of their specialties at Broadway and E. Chicago St. from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.: Café La Scala, Chic Lounge, Club Charlies, Coquette Café, Hinterland, Milwaukee Ale House, Palms Bistro, Riverfront Pizzeria, Ryan Braun’s Graffito and Spin Milwaukee.

At noon, chefs from Coquette, Graffito and Hinterland will face off in the best-chef, mixed-basket competition.

It will be followed at 3 p.m. by an “Iron Bartender” competition, with bartenders from Chic, Club Charlies, Graffito, Hinterland and Spin squaring off. Judges for the cocktail contest are Kidd O’Shea of WMYX-FM, entertainer Karen Valentine and Brian Calhoun, a former University of Wisconsin Badger and former Detroit Lion.